Need You Now
by Bonnie Sveen Fan
Summary: Faced with the water for the first time since her accident, how will Ricky cope when she surfs?
1. Chapter 1

**This is a re- write of "Brax and Ricky: Stay With Me? Ricky won't be pregnant, she and Brax are just mates for the time being and she doesn't know Brax's brothers, but will get to know them as the story goes on. Kyle won't be in this story, unfortunately. This story will be rated T as it will be dealing with amputation. Her brother Adam doesn't exist. I don't know how many chapters that this story will have, I guess I'll just see where it takes me.**

 **Thank you to FrankElza who checked this re- written chapter over.**

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Need You Now. 

Chapter 1, 

On Saturday morning, 15 year old, Ricky was woken by a beep, beep of her iPhone. Fumbling for it on her bedside table, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and unlocked the screen. It was a text, from Darryl Braxton, or Brax as he was known. She wondered what he wanted, there was only one way to find out. She went in to her messages to find a few words on the screen.

 **"Fancy a surf?"**

 **"Sure"** She replied eagerly, she loved the waves. For her, there was nothing better than catching a wave and trying to stay on it and if she beat Brax, well that was even better. Once the message was sent, she got out of bed and walked around her room, getting ready, pulling her wetsuit on and putting her hair up. She grabbed a gym bag and filled that with stuff her towel and water, before leaving her room and heading down the stairs, leaving a note for her mum. With that, she picked up her bag and board, before leaving the house, locking the door, heading to the beach.

"Finally," Brax joked, rolling his eyes as he saw Ricky.

"Oh, ha, ha, Braxton" Ricky laughed.

"Ready?" Brax asked, standing up and grabbing his board.

"Yeah" Ricky said, picking up her board and heading down to the water. They both lay down their boards and start paddling in.

Ricky soon spotted a wave and went for it, managing to catch it.

Brax went for the next wave, going under and then re- surfacing.

Ricky laughed as she surfed back to the shore, before turning back around and heading for another one.

The wave popped up and she went for it, blissfully unaware that a dreaded creature was right underneath her board. As she tried to ride the wave back to shore, something grabbed her, pulling her off her board, Ricky let a scream leave her mouth.

The shark pulled Ricky under the water as she tried desperately to escape its clutches, but it just dragged her further under.

"Ricky!" Brax yelled, realising he couldn't see the teen. "Ricky, where are you?"

Silence. Shit. Diving under the water he found her, but she was unconcious, blood was poiring from her head, most likely where she'd hit it and. Oh god, her leg was torn, mangled as blood poured out of it, turning the water, a sea of red.

"Brax, it hurts" She whispered, with ragged breath, obviously trying to save her breath.

I know" Brax says, scooping her out of the water, being careful of her leg as he carried her out of the water.

He lays her on the sand, grabbing both of their towels, wrapping one around her and the other around her leg. Kneeling down beside her, he stroked her mattered hair. "Ricky, it's alright, I promise"

Brax fumbled in his shorts for his phone and dialled 911.

"What service do you require?" A voice said.

"I need an ambulance. " Brax said. "Now"

"One has been dispatched and is on it's way, " The voice informed him.

Small whimpers come from the girl.

"Shh, it's alright, " Brax soothed, nothing about this was alright, she shouldn't be lying here, not like this, but he had to tell her something. Then with relief, Brax heard the ambulance pull up and a man and a woman jumped out.

"She needs to get to Nothern District now" Said the male paramedic as he and his partner slid the board under her, before putting her in a neck brace. Before connecting her to a ventilator. His partner handed him a blanket and he lay it over her as the paramedics picked up the board and lay it on the stretcher.

Brax took the seat next to the stretcher as the ambulance turned on the lights.

The doors to the hospital burst open, signalling a new patient as the paramedics give the doctors the information they needed to know.

"This is Erica Sharpe, 15, found unconscious, BP 90/ 60, GSC 5, SAT's ventilated at the scene"

Brax leant against a wall, feeling like his legs were going to give a way, when the stretcher was wheeled away from him, and in to RESUS.

"Doc, what is it?" Brax asked, as soon as he saw him.

"Due to the nature of Ricky's injury, I'm afraid, the only way to save Ricky's life is to amputate her leg. I'm so sorry" Nate Cooper, the trusted doctor of Nothern District, told both Brax and Ricky's mum.

Nate held a bunch of consent forms out towards Ricky's mum who signed them in order for her daughters life changing operation to take place. He disappeared in to RESUS and looked at the girl, who had a tube up her nose, the gasket was inflated to hold Ricky's ventilator in place. Was he was sure, she was ventilated, he began her surgery.

He gave her a general anaesthetic and then removed the fixator that was holding her leg in place. A skin incision was created, he made another cut that would expose the tibial bone, he made another cut with the saw, then he made another cut which would expose the fibular bone, as her lower leg and foot were removed, the incision was closed to create a stump.

Once her surgery was complete, she was wheeled to recovery where nurses checked her vital signs: clipping a pulse oximeter to her finger, checking the ventilator before wheeling her back to her side room. Brax and Clare faced a tense wait to see whether the teen they loved so much would pull through.

Brax glanced at her: the raise and fall of her chest, was the result of the ventilator, her head wound had been cleaned and stitched, her stump was covered in bandages, there were two drips in her arms, one giving her fluids, the other giving her blood.

"Please be alright, Ricky" He prayed, dropping his head in his hands "Please"

A knock on the door startled him from his thoughts, he looked towards the door. It was Nate, adjusting his stethoscope.

"She's in a coma to help her body recover. "

"Will she wake?" Brax asked.

"Time will tell" Nate said, tipping something in to Brax's hand. Brax realised the small studs were her earrings, removed for surgery.

"Come on, Ricky" Brax took her hand. "I'm here"

But the only sound was the "whoosh" of the ventilator. Brax realised it could be a long few weeks. He sighed, rested his arms on the back of his head as he tried to get comfortable on the uncomfortable hospital chair. He sent a text, to Heath, asking him to be good for the childminder, even though at 15, he was too old for a childminder, but it was more for Casey, Brax didn't want his young brother worrying while he wasn't there.

"Clare, go home, I'll keep an eye on her" Brax noted how exhausted Ricky's mum looked.

"She needs me"

"There's no point in both of us sitting here" Brax said. "I'll call you if anything changes, "

"Fine" Clare raised her eyebrows at Brax as she stood up, gave her daughter one last look before leaving the hospital as she sat in her car, devastated for her daughter.

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 **Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the re- written version of this.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Braxton54: Thank you for the review.**

 **Thank you to FrankElza who checked the second chapter over.**

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Need You Now. 

Chapter 2. 

It had been a week since Nate had put Ricky in to a coma. Her eyes had remained tightly shut; her hands twitched as Brax guessed she was having bad dreams.

"What?" Brax asked, he was struggling to take in what Nate had just told him.

"I'm going to remove the ventilator to see if Ricky breathes on her own" Nate said, leaving the room for a minute before returning with the equipment he needed to remove the tube.

"If she doesn't?" Brax asked, not removing his hand from Ricky's, but being careful of the IV in it.

"We'll put her back on the ventilator," Nate told him.

Brax nodded, he understood and then, remembering his promise to keep Ricky's mum, in the know about her ill daughter, he walked out the room and pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket, dialling Julia's number.

"What do you want, Darryl" Said Julia, not even bothering with "hello" as she answered the call.

"I thought you'd like to know that they are planning to take Ricky off the ventilator. "

"I'll be there"

"Good" Said Brax as the call ended and he headed back to her room, just in time as Nate was preparing to cease the ventilator breathing for her. He pressed the button which would stop the ventilator and unscrewed the tube.

After taking the tube away, Brax rubbed her hand. "come on, Ricky, you can do it, "

Ricky took a short breath, but it was enough for Brax to know that Ricky was still fighting, that she refused to give up.

"Ricky, its alright," Nate told her. "I'm going to put an oxygen mask on you, to help you breathe easier "

Nate picked up a mask, putting it on her face. "Take deep breathes"

Brax stood, stroking her hair. "That's it"

From behind the mask, she could be heard moaning.

"Ricky, what's wrong?" Brax asked.

"My leg.." She whispered. "Sharp pain"

Nate pulled back the blankets that were covering Ricky.

"What your feeling now is something called phantom pain" Nate explained

"Huh?" Brax asked, looking confused.

"Its where a patient can feel pain in the part of a body which is no longer there"

A few tears trickled down Ricky's cheek, "Oh"

Brax's heart broke. He poured her a glass of water and helped her to get it to her lips, dry from the ventilator being stuck down her throat.

"Better?" he asked, watching her suck from the straw.

She nodded, Brax taking the glass away from her. Brax helped her get comfortale.

"Do you need anything?" Brax asked

Ricky held her arms out to him. Brax hugged her back."You'll be alright, Ricky" He whispered, rubbing her back.

"I'm scared, " She whispered.

Brax stroked her hair.

"I know, but you've got me" He told her.

Ricky gave him a small smile, as Nate left them to it.


	3. Chapter 3

**FrankElza: Thank you for the rev** **iew and checking the chapter over. I'm glad you like this new version and I'm glad you think that I picked a good name for it. "Need You Now" is my favourite Lady Antebellum song and it made sense for me to name the story after the song, because I feel the title fits in with where I'd like to take this story** **.**

 **FrankElza: Thank you for the review and checking the chapter over. Ricky's Mum name is Clare, thanks for mentioning the mistake I'd made with the name, otherwise I'd have not noticed it.**

 **Braxton54: Thank you for the review, glad you loved the chapter.**

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Need You Now. 

Chapter 3. 

Ricky was lying on the bed, Brax could tell she was bored by the way her arms were crossed and she was staring at the ceiling. But, he supposed, it wasn't easy being a patient.

"Here, " He said, patting his jeans pocket, "I think I've got my iPod in here" He pulled it out, earphones wrapped around the small device and put it on the bed. Ricky reached for it, unravelling the earphones and switching it on, waiting for his music lists to load. When they did, he saw he listened to heavy metal, Coldplay and he even had a bit of spice girls on there.

"Brax, " Ricky laughed, scrolling through his lists. "You have terrible taste in music"

"Hey" He replied, nudging her with his elbow, but it was good hearing her laugh. Ricky put the earphones in and listened to Coldplay, but they were soon interrupted by a knock on the door. Taking the earphones out, Ricky looked at Brax, who stood and opened the door.

"Hi, Erica, I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Natasha, your physiotherapist" " Spoke an unfamiliar voice.

"No, " Ricky shook her head, she didn't remember her.

"I'm going to show you how to exercise your stump, before you can be fitted with your prosthetic leg "

"Sure"

Natasha walked over to the bed and gently took hold of her stump. "The exercise I'm going to do is called a Hip Flexor Stretch"

Ricky nodded and seeing as she was already lying on her back, all Natasha had to do was take her uninjured leg and get her to hold it with her arm, while she asked Brax to hold her stump to the bed for 20 minutes. Ricky let out a whimper.

"It hurt"

"I know, it's strange getting used to something that's no longer there, " Natasha spoke. "But with your prosthetic, it'll feel normal again"

Ricky felt a tear slip down her cheek.

"I think that's enough for now" Natasha said, "But I'd like to continue these exercises"

Ricky just nodded. "Why me, Brax?" She asked.

Brax shrugged. "Unfortunate timing, I guess"

"Unfortunate timing?" She repeated, as if she couldn't believe what he'd just said. Brax nodded, deciding now wasn't the right time to tell her that the shark had swam off, with her leg in it's mouth.

"I've lost my leg, Brax. " She shouted.

"Calm down, " Brax whispered. "Ricky, it was either you or your leg"

"Get out" Ricky said.

"I'm not leaving you on your ow-"

"Get out"

Hearing the raised voices in the private room, Nate popped his head in. "Everything alright?"

"Brax was just leaving"

"Ricky.."

"I want to be on my own" Now, Ricky lifted her head and looked at him.

"Ricky, I think we need to talk"

"Just go, " Ricky said.

"I'll be at home, if you need me, just call" Brax said, leaning towards her so he could kiss her forehead. Ricky moved away, the stubborn part of her knew that she wasn't going to call him, but that didn't stop him from hearing her start to cry as he left the room.

"What do I do, doc?" Brax asked, leaning against the door.

"Just be there for her" Nate told him.

Even though, he was trying, she was pushing him out, and he didn't know where to go next with her.

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 **Thanks for reading, sorry for the sort length, I hope the chapters will get longer as the story continues.**

 **Next chapter: Ricky is discharged from hospital.**


	4. Chapter 4

**FrankElza: Thank you for the rview and checking the chapter over. I'm glad you thought it was acceptable for Ricky to smap at Brax like she did. I think it will be hard for her to come to terms with what has happened.**

 **Braxton. 54: Thank you for the review. I feel sorry for Brax and Ricky as well.**

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Need You Now. 

Chapter 4. 

Brax had just finished, riding a good set of waves and was heading out the water, towards his towel, when his phone rang. Dropping his board on to the sand, he picked up his phone and was surprised to see Clare on the display screen.

"Darryl?"

"Yep,"

"Could you come over?"

Brax frowned. "What for?"

"I need help with getting the house ready."

"I'll be there,"

"Thanks Darryl,"

Brax picked up his board, towel and made his way off the beach. He was nipping home for a quick shower and change before heading over to Ricky's. He unlocked the door, resting his board against the wall, before heading up the stairs. Taking his shorts off, he stepped in to the water, allowing the water to wash over him.

When Brax arrived at at Ricky's, he could already see the changes taking place; a ramp was being fitted, as he walked inside, he could see an extra handrail being fitted.

Brax headed up the stairs towards Ricky's room. He opened the door as his feet sunk in to soft white carpeting, her bed was pushed to the wall, with a white duvet with white and pink cusions scattered on it. Her walls were covered with pictures. In one, Ricky was holding her board. In another, it was her and him. Brax opened her wardrobe, and drawers to find her something comfortable to wear.

Brax put the bag in the passnger seat and drove to the hospital.

Brax walked in to Ricky's room where Natasha was wih some sort of board.

"I'm not using it," Ricky said.

"What's going on?" Brax asked.

"I'm trying to show Erica how to use a sliding board,"

"What's it for?" Brax asked.

"It's to show Erica how to move in and out of the wheelchair" Natasha explained.

Brax bent down to Ricky's level. "Ricky, let them show you"

Ricky shook her head. "Brax"

"What?"

"I feel like I'm loosing my independence"

"Ricky, you can't rush this, it'll be an adjustment" Brax said.

Ricky sighed, knowing he was right.

"Try for me?" He asked.

Ricky nodded and slid on to the board.

"To use it with the chair, take the sides off," Natasha said.

"You ready?" He asked

Ricky nodded and Brax helped her change, before checking that she had everything, before pushing her out in to the corridor. Brax unlocked the car doors.

Brax put the brakes on the chair, and took the sides off, before laying the board down, as she got in to the passnger seat.

Brax collasped the wheelchair and put it in the boot, along with the board, before getting in to the car. He started the engine and Ricky turned the radio on, as he drove them home.

"Can we just?" Ricky asked.

Brax nodded and turned off the engine. The two sat in silence until Ricky was ready to get out.

Brax pushed Ricky up the ramp and rang the doorbell. Clare answered the door.

As Brax pushed Ricky in to the living room, there was a banner that read: "Welcome home, Ricky"

Phoebe and Denny both surrounded her.

"Hey, Ricky" Phoebe said.

"Sorry, we didn't come and see you in hospital, we were just" Denny said.

"Scared?" Ricky said, Denny nodded. 'It's ok, I was too"

Brax wheeled Ricky in to the dining room.

Brax squeezed her shoulder. "It's going to be your room for a whille,"

"Sure"

"Do you want to stay in the char or get in to the bed?" Brax asked.

Ricky nodded towards the bed.

Brax lowered her down. "I'm not going to be here all the time, so you are going to have to learn to do it yourself,"

"Fine" Ricky whispered, pulling the duvet back and slipping her stump in, followed by her good leg.

"Comfortable," Brax asked, tucking the duvet around her.

"Sure,"

"Good," Brax kissed her forehead. "I'll see you, soon"

"Thank you, Brax"

Brax headed outside and got in to his car, heading towards his house, by the time, he walked in, Heath had come home from school.

"Where's Case, Heath?" Brax asked.

"In his room,"

Brax walked up the stairs and pushed open the door.

"Hey mate" He said, greeting the 8- year- old.

"Where have you been?" Casey asked.

"I've been with a mate" Brax said.

Heath walked in to the living room. "What's gotten you?"

"Ricky,"

Heath frowned at the unfamilar name. "Whose, Ricky"

"A mate" Brax said.

"Come on, Brax" Heath said.

Brax sighed. "A few weeks ago, Rcky and I were at the beach. We were surfing, a shark popped up underneath her board, dragged her off the board, I rushed her to the hospital, she needed surgery to save her life, but they had to remove her leg,"

"That"s rough" Heath answered.

"I feel like I have to be there for her" Brax sighed.

"You need someone to be there for you too, though" Heath said. "That's why I will be,"

Brax clapped Heath on his shoulder. "Cheers, mate"

It felt good for Brax to release his worries, about Ricky. He needed to be strong for he, but he also needed someone to be there for him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry, it's been a while.**

 **FrankElza: Thank you for the review and for checking the chapter over. Liked including the little bit about Heath and Casey.**

 **Braxton. 54: Thank you for the review. It is good that Ricky is home.**

Need You Now. 

Chapter 5. 

The birds chirping served as Ricky's wake up call as she opened her eyes. She'd dreamt last night that she had been on her board, enjoying riding the wave underneath her, but all too soon, she was being dragged under.

It was then, she'd woken up, breathing heavily and panicking eyes darting around her makeshift room.

"Your OK, " She whispered to herself as she attempted to calm herself down, so she could go and get herself a glass of water.

She pulls back her duvet, and struggling to put all her weight on her good leg.

She topples over and lands on the floor, pain radiating through her stump.

Winching as she tries to reach for her phone and call Brax, she manages to tap out a few words.

 **"i need help. "**

Realising that Ricky never called for help unless she really needed it, Brax grabbed his car keys and was out of the house, before Heath could question where he was going. He got in to his car and drove towards Ricky's house.

"Ricky, it's me, " Brax called, looking under the pot for where he knew she kept the spare key and opens the door. Stepping in to the hallway, he questioned, "Where are you?"

"In the dinning room, " Ricky calls back, her voice quiet.

Brax walks in to the dinning room to see Ricky lying on the floor, in a crumpled heap.

"What happened?" Brax asked.

"I wanted to try to get up on my own and I fell. I can't do this anymore, Brax, " Ricky mutters, tiredly.

"You can, your just going to have to find other ways of doing them," He says. "Come on, put your arms around my neck"

Slipping her arms around his neck, Brax manages to pull her up. "Are you hurt?" He questions.

"I don't think so, " Ricky says.

"Let's get you the hospital, "

"I'm fine, Brax, " Ricky tells him.

"I'm not taking any chances, " Brax tells her, lifting her in to his arms, the day he had when her life changed forever and walking in to the hallway. Still with Ricky in his arms, he eases her in to the back.

The drive to the hospital is silent, other than Ricky sniffing and wiping her eyes.

Brax pats her knee as he pulls in to the car park.

"What happened?" Nate questions, spotting them as he's on his break.

Ricky's now sat in a wheelchair as Nate wheels her to a cubicle.

Offering her his hand, Brax helps her out of the chair and on to the bed. "She fell, "

Nate nodded as Ricky then speaks. "It feels like shooting pains. "

Nate snaps on a pair of gloves and bends down to examine her stump.

"Right, Ricky, it seems that you are suffering from phantom pain"

"Is there anything she can do?" Brax asks, not wanting Ricky to suffer more than she already was.

"She can take pain killers" Nate explains.

"Thanks Nate" Brax said, helping Ricky off the bed and to the car. Opening the car door for her, Brax watches as she hops in to the car and he drives off, hoping to settle her at home.

Using the spare key, Brax opened the door and carried Ricky in to the living room. He places her down.

"Brax, "

"Um?"

"Thank you,"

Brax sits on the couch. "You don't need to thank me, it's what mates are for, "

He sees a blanket on the back of the couch and wraps it around her.

She rests her head on his chest, as she speaks. "Won't your brothers need you?"

"Casey is with the childminder. " Brax tells her. "So, I can stay with you. "

"Oh, "

He kisses her forehead, while she snuggles further in to him, draping the blanket further around her.

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 **Thank you for reading.**

 **Next chapter: Ricky is fitted for her leg.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry, it's been a few months since I last updated this story.**

 **FrankElza: Thank you for the review and for looking the chapter over. It is good that Brax came to Ricky's aid when she needed him.**

 **Braxton54: Thank you for the review. I love their friendship as well.**

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Need You Now. 

Ricky's POV.

Chapter 6. 

It was the day I was secretly scared of, it was the day of my prosethic leg appointment. I didn't know what to except: I looked down and saw my stump, feeling the bile raise up in my throat, I swallowed it and heard a voice, I turned in the direction of the doorway, where the voice seemed to be coming from.

"Hey, "

"Oh, hey Brax. "

He sits down on the bed beside me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him, in confusion.

I thought you could do with a mate," He replies. "I'm not about to let you go through this on your own,"

"Thanks" I nodded.

Brax looked at his watch. "We better get going. "

"Yeah, " I replied.

Brax stands and puts the wheelchair close to the bed. "Come on, "

I stand up, hopping on my good leg and sat in the chair.

"Ready?" Brax asks, giving my shoulder a supportive squeeze.

"I guess" I replied, in a quiet voice as he wheels me out of the house, picking up my car keys, from the hallway.

Outside on the street, Brax unlocks the car doors, putting down the sliding board. I slide across it as Brax collapsed the chair and put it in the boot.

"Ready?" He asks, sat in the drivers seat, putting the keys in the engine.

We sat in silence when we arrived at the hospital, Brax booking me in.

"Erica Sharpe?"

"She' here" Brax says, standing up and pushing me in to the room.

" Today, I'm going to measure you for your temporary prosthetic leg. " Said Natasha, once I was sat on the bed.

My eyes went wide and I shot a panicked look at Brax.

"Ricky, it's OK, I'm not going anywhere." Brax said, rubbing my shoulder.

"I know" I told him.

Natasha bent down in front of me and bent my stump. "I'm going to wrap your stump in clingfilm and plaster it. "

I nodded as Natasha picked up the clingfilm on the tray beside her, bending my stump and began to plaster my stump, she picked up a special prosthetic sock and placed it over the stump. Natasha then marked the cast, then that was wrapped in a white bandage. Natasha took a plaster cast away in order to make the leg, while Brax and I waited in the reception area, I flicked through a magazine until we were called back through.

"Ready, Ricky?" Brax asked.

"I think so, " I whispered.

Natasha took the lid off the box she was holding and lifted my leg out.

"Oh my God," I gasped, my hand going to my mouth as I took in what Natasha was holding: A life like leg.

Natasha handed me a clothe, I looked at it confused.

"What your holding is called a liner. I want you to pull it inside out. " She says.

"Sure" I say, pulling it inside out.

Natasha smiles. "Good, I now want you to roll it on to your stump. "

I tried to roll it on, but it slipped out of my hands, I scowled in frustration.

"Let me help." smiled Brax.

"I want to try," I said again, this time managing to get it on.

Natasha picks my leg up out of the box. Bending down, she threaded the wire that would hold my leg in place through the hole and attached it to me, being careful of my stump.

"It may feel uncomfortable for a while, but you will get used to it," Natasha tells me.

I nodded as I kept staring at the leg, it felt strange having something there.

"How does it feel?" Natasha asked.

"It feels strange"

"Try and take it off,"

I sat on the bed and took the leg off, before putting it on.

"That's good. Now I want you to practise walking" she gestures to a set of parallel bars.

"OK" I say, heading over in the chair.

"Your skin will probably feel tall, but that's OK, I need to see how you cope when your standing on it. " Natasha explains, as I slowly stand. "I want you to walk to the end of the bar. "

I bite my lip.

"Come on Ricky" Brax encourages.

I take a step with my leg, feel myself wobble and grip hold of them.

Realising, I'm not going to take the steps I need to get used to my new leg, Brax positions himself at the end.

"What are you doing?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Think of me as your goal," he replies, his eyes focused on mine.

"You don't get it, " I sighed, frustrated, running my hand through my hair. "It's hard, "

"It's only hard, because your letting it be." Brax replies. "You need to have some faith in yourself, I know you can do it."

I re- took hold of the bars and put my foot in front of the other, until I reached the end.

"See?" Brax says. "You've done it. "

I nodded, wiping away a stray tear.

"Come here" Brax pulls me in to his arms. He uses his thumbs to wipe away my tears. "Well done."

"Thanks" I said as Natasha gives me instructions on how to look after the leg.

I walked slowly to the car, Brax unlocking the doors and driving home.

Back at home, Brax and I are in the dining room, he's disabling my bed ready to take it back upstairs. I stare at the picture of me holding my board, seeing that picture gives me strenght.

"Brax"

"Um?"

"I want to go in to the water."

Brax, stares at me. "What?" He asked, as if he hadn't heard me the first time.

I take a deep breath. "I want to go back in to the water."

"Ricky," Brax continues to stare at me. "I don't think that's a good idea."

I looked at him, saying with as much confidence as I could. "I want to go out again. "

Brax nods. "Alright, but I'm coming out with you,"

I nodded, but deep down, there was a knot in my stomach and I knew that came from fear, fear that it might happen again.

Brax nods, kisses my forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, "

"OK. " I said, walking in to the hallway, carefully, as I unlock the door, watching him walk down the street.

I made myself a cup of chamomile tea and sat in the living room, picking up my phone and sending Brax a text, thanking him for today, he replies a few seconds later.

 **"No problem, Ricky"**

I smiled, and headed up the stairs, pulling back the covers on my bed, before removing my leg. I put it down and turned out the light.


End file.
